Fireplace



June 22, 1965 G. G. DAvls 3,190,279

FIREPLACE Filed Jan. 22, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 zNvENToR. soea'i (7104W;

G. G. DAVIS FIREPLACE June 22, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1962 INVENTOR. 6mm; c/w/.s

G. G. DAVIS FIREPLACE `lune 22, 1965 4 SheetS-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 22. 1962 INVENTOR iaea! m//s United States Patent O 3,1%,279 FREPLCE George G. Davis, 490 Highland Ave., Cotati, Calif. Fiied Elan. 22, 1962, er. No. 167,551 7 Claims. (Cl. 1126-63) This invention relates generally to metal fireplaces and more particularly to a free standing fireplace having a fabricated outer enclosure useful for heating homes and other enclosed places, which is readily assembled and installed. This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 822,088, filed June 22, 1959, now abandoned.

Free standing fireplaces are being extensively used today in dwellings, summer homes, apartments and other enclosed places for heating where none was provided when the dwelling was Originally constructed. Such free standing fireplaces should be safe to use, should provide the warmth of an open fire and the efiiciency of a room heater. Additionally, they should be attractive so they may blend into the decor of the dwelling. Furthermore, very desirable characteristics of a free standing fireplace are low cost, compactness, installation without special reinforcing or lining of floors or walls, low weight, separate fire box and enclosure, ease of assembly and ease of repairing or replacing the separate fire box. Sheet metal fireplaces known heretofore have lacked one or more of such desirable characteristics and additionally are rather complex and bulky.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple, compact, safe and efiicient free standing, sheet metal fireplace.

It is another object of this invention to provide an attractive, easily installable, free standing fireplace which combines the warmth and beauty of an open fire with the efiiciency of a circulating air type room heater. Also, the outer portion or enclosure of this fireplace is to be provided with sufiicient isolation from the fire box that it may be enameled With decorator colors and retain a permanent exterior surface trim for many useful years of service.

ft is a further object of this invention to provide a low cost, lightweight fireplace which may readily be added to a room without specal reinforcing or lining of floors or walls and without special reconstruction and which supports its own chimney.

lin accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, a steel plate fire box of welded construction is provided together with an easily assembled and disassembled fireplace enclosure having a detachable base and made entirely of fabricated sheet metal and held together by fastening means such as clips and screws. Briefly, a detachable base is provided for supporting the base plate of the enclosure. The fire box is set upon the base plate and spaced from its surface to provide a circulating air space. The other parts of the outer enclosure are then installed and supported upon the base plate. All outer walls are spaced from the fire box to provide an air space for circulating air over the entire surface of the fire box.

Other objects and a better understanding of this invention may be had by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a` perspective view of the free standing metal fireplace of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertically exploded perspective view of the fireplace of FIGURE 1 without side and back walls and without front and top cover;

i FIGURE 3 is a vertically exploded perspective view of the fireplace of FIGURE 1 showing the construction details of the side and back walls and the front and top cover;

' through bore 11.

3,1%,279 Patented June 22, l9fi5 FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 1 showing the chimney mounting means; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 6-6 showing the means employed to join together the exterior sheet metal walls of the fireplace.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURES l to 4, thereof, the fireplace there shown is generally designated by reference Character 10. It comprises a support base 11 resting on the fioor, a fabricated outer structure or fireplace enclosure 12 detachably fastened to base 11 and a welded inner structure or firebox 13 which is contained inside enclosure 12 and separated therefrom by an air space through which air freely circulates.

Base 11 detachably supports and elevates fireplace enclosure 12 above fioor level, as best seen in FIGURE 2, and may be formed of a plate of sheet metal bent about three Vertical corner lines to define side plates 15, 16, 17 and 18. The ends of side plates 15 and 13 may be welded to one another to form a rectangular enclosure open at opposite ends. Upper flanges 2G may be formed by bending the upper portions of side plates 15, 16, 17 and 18 outwardly after Cutting along the various corner lines. Similarly the lower flanges 21 may be for-med by bending the lower portions of side plates 15, 16, 17 and 18 inwardly after removing a 45 triangle from each corner so that, after bending, fianges 21 abut along and are welded to their adjacent edges and form a good seating surface. One pair of oppositely disposed side plates, such as 15 and 16, are provided with a lower and upper row of perforations or ventilation openings 17 to permit air to circulate One pair of oppositely disposed upper fianges, such as flanges 20 depending outwardly from side plates 18 and 19 are provided with openngs 22 for clearing the shanlts of stove bolts used for detachably fastening a base plate Si to base 11. In this manner, a portable base of welded construction is provided which, because of its small size can easily be transported and placed.

Outer structure or fabricated enclosure 12 comprises a sheet meal base plate 30 with down-turned fianges which is supported on base 11 and fastened thereto by means of screws 31 passing through openings 32 in registry with openings 22. Openings 32 are spaced in such a way that when base plate 30 is bolted to base 11, it has a forward extension 33 which may form a hearth extension.

Base plate 30 is also provided with three interior flanges 34 which are securely fastened thereto by welding. Each of fianges 34 is provided with an opening 35 for receiving hexagon head self-tapping screws. Two oppositely disposed exterior sheet metal side walls 36 and 37 and back wall 38 are seated on plate 30 and are secured thereto by attachment to internal flanges 34. Side walls 36 and 37 and back wall 38 are provided with openings 39 in registry with openings 35 and self-tapping bolts 41 may be `utilized to detachably secure these walls to internal flanges 34.

A top cover 42 with down-turned tlanges, and of a similar general configuration as base plates 31B, except for for- Ward extension 53, is seated upon the upper edge of walls 35, 37 and 38. Cover 42 is provided with three internal fianges 43 having openings 35a in registry with upper mounting holes 39a for detachably securing side walls 35 and 37 and back walls 38 to cover 42 in a manner similar to that descri'oed in connection with the aifixing of the walls to the base plate 3d.

A short front wall 44 is also provided as best seen in FIGURE 3 which is detachably fastened to side walls 36, 37 and fire box 13. The space between the lower edge of front wall 44 and the surface of base plate 30 provides the fireplace opening as will prcsently be described.

lAdjoining edges of side walls 36 and 37, front wall 44 and rear wall 33 are detachably secured to one another for greater rigidity by means best shown in FIGUREV.

That is to say, the longitudinal edges of Vadjacent walls are bent to form outwardly projecting parallel flanges 45 and which are clamped to one another by U-shaped elon-` gated clips 46. VAcorn nut and bolt elements .V47 are employed to boltieach clip 46 to its respective pair of fianges V connect the lower portions of the connecting fianges 45 35. By thisrneans, it will be apparent that the entire outer framework is a very sturdy structure and is'veryeasily assembled and disassembled should the need arise. Clip 46, made of finished brass, also contributes to the neat appearance which the fireplace presents to the eye and further prevents sharp and unsightly edges being exposed to View. i i

` Side walls 36'and 37 and back wall 38 are also provided with a top row and bottom row of perforations or air vents 49 whose purpose will be explained hereinafter.

Inner structure or fire box 13 comprises, as has already been stated, a welded box of fire box quality steel plate having a thickness of 2/16 inch and forms Va separate unit. Fire box 13 includes a hearth plate 50 having converging edges 51 towhich upright side plates 52 and 53 are welded. Side plates 52 and 53 extend downwardlybeyond of sideplates 36 and 37 and theside |flanges of .the ing of fire boxV 13 'as best lseen in FIG. 3..

Referring nowto PIG. 5 there is shown a preferred method .of mounting and .supporting a chimney upon top plate 42. Top plate 42 .is provided with an opening 70 which is dimensioned and positioned to permit flue collar open- 58 to project therethrough. z Sur-rounding opening 70 is a retaining collar'71 attached to -top plate 42 by means of a plurality of circular bosses 72 as `best seen in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 which support |collar 71 in spaced relation to plate 42.. A thin wallecl vouter Chimney 74 is set inside collar 71 and seated upon the crcular bosses 72. The spacing of lthe lower edge of collar 71 above the surface of-.pl-ate 42 permits air lto freely cireulate. An inner thick walled chimney 7-5 isset directly upon plate 42 and is hearth plate 50 so that the respective lower edges of the ,i downward extension form a seating surface resting upon i dimensioned so as to .snugly engage the outer surface of yiue collar 58. The weightrof inner chimney 75 is supported, .through spaces 65 by firebox 13 which is of sufficiently rigid construction to support thel same.

It will be seen from the Vabove description that fireplace 10 of this ,invention has anV integrally welded fire box 13 i which is properly isolated from the roomby fabricated vided in the form of a pair of flanges 54 mounted upon plate 30 and extending in a rearwardly converging manner to substantially parallel the tapered side edges 51 of hearth plate 5d. Flanges 54 are spaced such that side plates 52 and 53 abut the fianges when the fire box 13 is in the desired position. v

A rear wall 55 is provided which is substantially fiush at its lower edge with hearth plate 50 and is welded thereto and alsothe rear longitudinal edges of side plates 52 and 53. Side plates 52 and 53.have a 'stepped configuration at their upper forward portion and a bent section in the upper rearward portion which changes the steppe'd section into one having parallel sides (instead of being rearwardly converging, because of the converging edges of hearth plate 50). 1

A fire Vbox cover plate 56 is provided having .parallel sides and being formed with .an upper horizontal portion 56a, an intermedial horizontal portion 56e` and a lower horizontal portion 5678. Portions 56a and -56c are connected by sl-igh-tly slanted but primarily vertically extending portion 561). 'Portions 56a .and 56a areconnected by' Vertical portion 56d. As a practical matter, the various portions are flat steel platesrwelded to one another to a .centrally located aperture to which a flue collar 58'. is welded. I j

A rear heat defiection plate 6% is provided in fire box 13 which slants upwardly and forwardly or to the left' i envelope .12. The .space between' fire box 13 and enclosure 12. is such asto reduce any fire hazard and'yet provideeffective 'heating for a vroomin which fireplace 10 is placed. VHoles 49 as best seen in FIGU'RE 1 perrnit the cold air to enter .at the bottom; Cold air entering the space between inner and outer structures will be warmed by its close proxirnity to inner structure 13, and as well known, will rise and pass out through the toprow of ventilating holes 49 thereby circulating-back into the room and warming it.

Also base 11 is provided with ventilating holes 17 so that the spacebel-ow fireplace 1G does not ,accu-mulate heat. Ventilating holes 17 :act in approximately the same manner in that cold' air can enter the lower row of holes and should the ai'r be warmed up thereinwill pass .out of the i then securely fastened to base 11 and the one-piece fire V form top plate 56. Top portion 56a is also provided with provides meansV for adjusting the width of the'flueopen-` ing in the customary manner. Upper portion 56a of -cover plate 56 is also provided' with three outwardly depending spacers welded in place about flue collar 58 for supporting the center portion of cover 42 .and carrying the.V i weight of ;the chimney.

box 13 is dropped onto plate 30 Where it is automatically located in the-proper position by rearwardly converging inner flanges 54-as best seen in FIGURE 2. Thereafter vside walls 36 and 37l and back wall 38 and short front wallr44 and angle plates 67 are joined by clips 46 to form a four walled enclosure and dropped onto plate 30 where they j are spacedV apart and actually located by inner flanges 34 and holes 35 to which the side and back walls are then bolted. Angle plates 67 are joined to firebox frame 83 by self tapping screws. Chimney mounting ring 71 is fattached to top cover 42. Top vcover 42 is dropped inV placejand isaccurately located by downwardly depending flanges 43 and holes 35a to whichV the walls are then bolted. Inner and outer chimneys may then be dropped in place. i

` .There'has been described a new fireplace construction which is particularly suitableV as a free Vstanding fireplace in a home and whichV is so constructed as to efliciently and safelywarm the room in which it is'located. Furthermore, the assembling or disassembling, should the need arise,v is simple .and may be accomplished in a minimum of time without the need of structural changes at the place of its location.

I claim:

I. A fireplace comprising: a fabricated sheet metal enclosure including a base plate, a top cover, a pair of side walls having ventilation apertures, a rear wall having ventilation apertures and a short front wall, said top cover having downwardly depending mounting means for said side and rear Walls rigidly affixed to its lower surface, and said base plate having upwardly depending mounting means for said side and rear walls rigidly aifixed to its upper surface, releasable mounting means for detachably securing said walls to the mounting means of said top cover and said base plate, said short front wall providing anopening into said enclosure; a welded steel plate fire box inside said enclosure and separated therefrom by an air space on all sides, top and bottom, said fire box including a forwardly converging heat refiection plate With adjustable damper means, said fire box having a pair of upright rearwardly converging side plates extending downwardly below the hearth plate and forming support means for said fire box for seating upon said base plate, said fire box also having a rimmed and flanged opening at its front in registry with the opening of said enclosure and a flue collar at its top, said base plate having a pair of rearwardly converging upwardly extending interior positioning flanges for engaging said side plates when said fire box is in its proper position, said fire box also having upwardly extending spacer and support means about said flue collar for engaging said top cover; and a welded Sheet metal base vvith holes in at least one of its sides to permit the circulation of air therethrough, said base plate being detachably secured to and elevated by said base.

Z. A fireplace in accordance With claim 1 in which said rimmed and flanged opening is detachably secured to selected adjacent portions of said enclosure.

3. A fireplace in accordance with claim 1 in which said side walls, rear wall and front wall have adjacent radially outwardly projecting fianges detachably secured in pairs by means of U-shaped clips.

4. A fireplace comprising: a welded steel plate fire box including a pair of upright side wall plates extending below the hearth plate for seating and elevating said fire box, a cover plate having an upwardly extending cylindrical flue collar and upwardly extending spacer and support means spaced about said flue collar, and a forwardly and upwardly sloping heat deflector plate with an adjustable damper means on its upper portion for communication with the forward portion of said fire box with said fiue collar; a hollow sheet metal base formed with openings in at least one of its side walls to permit air circulation into and out of said base; a fabricated sheet metal enclosure seated upon and elevated by said base and housing said fire box, said enclosure including a base plate seated upon and detachably secured to said base, a pair of rearwardly converging upwardly extending interior positioning fianges welded to said base plate for positioning said fire box by engaging the outside surface of said side Wall plates when said fire box is in its proper position upon said base plate, a pair of side Walls having ventilation apertures, a rear wall having ventilation apertures, and a front Wall, said base plate also having upwardly extending interior mounting flanges, said pair of side walls and said rear Wall being seated on said base plate and detachably secured to said mounting flanges, a top cover having downwardly depending interior mounting flanges and an aperture for clearing said flue collar, said top cover being seated upon said side walls, said rear Wall and said support means, said side walls and said rear wall being detachably secured to said last named mounting flanges, said side walls, rear Wall and front wall having adjacent radially outwardly projecting fianges detachably secured in pairs by means of U-shaped clips; an inner chimney seated on said top wall and engaging the outer surface of said collar; and an outer chimney seated upon said top wall in spaced relationship above its surface and in surrounding and spaced relationship about said inner chimney.

5. A fireplace comprising: a welded steel plate fire box including a hearth plate, a pair of upright rearwardly converging side wall plates extending below said hearth plate and providing a support for seating said fire box, a cover plate having an upwardly extending cylindrical fiue collar and upwardly extending spacer and support means about said flue collar, a forwardly and upwardly sloping heat deflector plate in the interior of said fire box and welded to said side Wall plates and said hearth plate and having a damper means on its upper portion for adjustable communication of the forward portion of said fire box with said flue collar, a planarly extending fire box opening rimmed With outwardly extending flanges, the lower of said flanges having an edge which is flush with the lower edge of said extending side Walls; a hollow rectangular base formed of side walls with openings in at least one of its side walls to permit air to circulate into and out of said base, said side walls having fianges at the upper extremity whose upper surfaces lie in a common plane; a fabricatcd sheet metal enclosure seated upon said base for housing said fire box, said enclosure including a sheet metal base plate detachably secured to the flanges of said base, a pair of rearwardly converging upwardly extending interior flanges welded to the surface of said base plate and positioned for engaging the outside surface of said side wall plates when said fire box is in its proper location upon said base plate, sheet metal side walls perforated with apertures, a sheet metal rear wall perforated with apertures and a sheet metal front wall, said base plate also having upwardly extending interior flanges, said side walls and said rear wall being seated on said base plate and detachably secured to said interior fianges, a sheet metal top cover having downwardly extending interior anges and an aperture for clearing said fiue collar, said top cover being seated upon said side walls and rear wall and said spacer and upport means, said side and rear walls being detachably secured to said last-named flanges, said front wall also being detachably secured along its lower portion to the upper of said flanges rimming the opening of said fire box, said side Walls, rear wall and front wall having adjacent radially outward projecting fianges detachably secured in pairs by means of U-shaped clips; an inner chimney seated on said top cover and engaging the outer surface of said collar; and an outer chimney seated upon said top cover in spaced relationship above its surface and in surrounding and spaced relationship with said inner chimney.

6. A sheet metal fireplace comprising: a welded, integrally constructed fire box including a horizontal hearth plate having rearwardly converging side edges, a pair of upright side wall plates welded to said rearwardly converging side edges and having a portion extending below said hearth plate for spaced seating of said fire box, an upright rear wall plate flush with and welded to the rear edge of said hearth plate and to the rear edges of said side plates, a forwardly and upwardly sloping heat reflecting plate having its side and lower margins welded respectively to said side wall plates and hearth plate forward of said rear Wall plate, said refiecting plate including adjustable damper means for communication with the space on either side of said refiecting plate, a cover plate welded to the upper edges of said rear wall plate and said side Wall plates, and outwardly depending fianges welded to all four sides of a rectangular opening defined by the forward edges of said hearth plate, cover plate and side Wall plates, said cover plate being formed with a horizontally plane portion having a flue opening and upwardly depending spacer means about said flue opening; and a cylindrical upward extending flue collar welded into said fiue opening; a welded triangular base having four Vertical side walls, at least one side wall being formed with openings therein to permit air to circulate into and out of said base, said side Walls having flanges at their upper end Whose upper surfaces are coplanar; a fabricated Sheet metal plate enclosure for said fire box and releasablyl secured to the.

flanges ofsaid base and having a pairl of rearwardly con;

verging upwardly extending interior positioning flanges inV parallelism/ With the outside surface 'of said side wall plates for locating said fire box in its proper position uponV said base plate; said enclosure further including a pair of parallell side walls, a rear Wall, a front wall andajtop cover, at least one of said walls including a plurality of openings to permit air to circulate'into and out'of said enclosure, said base'plate also having upwardly'depending interior mounting flanges for locating and mounting 'the lower end of said side and rear walls,V said side walls and said rear Wall being seated on said base plate and fastened to saidflanges, said top Wall havingV downwardly depending interior mounting flanges for locating with and mounting to the upper end of said'rear and side wall; said front wall being fastened on its lower edge to the upper flange on the cover plate of said fire box, said side,rrear and front Walls having adjacent radially outward projecting fianges detachably secured in pairs'by meansV of U-shaped lips,V said top wall being seated upon and releasably fastenedv to the upper edges of said walls by'said mounting flanges and also being seated upon said upwardly dependng spacers of 'said top plate and being formed With an aperture through which said Vflue collar projects; an inner chimney seated on said top wall and engaging the outer surface of said flue collar; and an outerchirnney seated upon saidtopwall in spaced relationship from said top Wall and'in surrounding spaced relationship with said inner chimney. j w

7. The 'fireplace of claim 1, wherein the side walls of the inner housing are provided with downward extensions to serveas legs for elevating the-hearth from said base.

ReferencesV Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JAMES W; WESTHAVER, Primary Exam ifier.

i 25 PERCY L; PATRICK, Examz'nzr. 

1. A FIREPLACE COMPRISING: A FABRICATED SHEET METAL ENCLOSURE INCLUDING A BASE PLATE, A TOP COVER, A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS HAVING VENTILATION APERTURES, A REAR WALL HAVING VENTILATION APERTURES AND A SHORT FRONT WALL, SAID TOP COVER HAVING DOWNWARDLY DEPENDING MOUNTING MEANS FOR SAID SIDE AND REAR WALLS RIGIDLY AFFIXED TO ITS LOWER SURFACE, AND SAID BASE PLATE HAVING UPWARDLY DEPENDING MOUNTING MEANS FOR SAID SIDE AND REAR WALLS RIGIDLY AFFIXED TO ITS UPPER SURFACE, RELEASABLE MOUNTING MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING SAID WALLS TO THE MOUNTING MEANS OF SAID TOP COVER AND SAID BASE PLATE, SAID SHORT FRONT WALL PROVIDING AN OPENING INTO SAID ENCLOSURE; A WELDED STEEL PLATE FIRE BOX INSIDE SAID ENCLOSURE AND SEPARATED THEREFROM BY AN AIR SPACE ON ALL SIDES, TOP AND BOTTOM, SAID FIRE BOX INCLUDING A FORWARDLY CONVERGING HEAT REFLECTION PLATE WITH ADJUSTABLE DAMPER MEANS, SAID FIRE BOX HAVING A PAIR OF UPRIGHT REARWARDLY CONVERGING SIDE PLATES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY BELOW THE HEARTH PLATE AND FORMING SUPPORT 